The One Secret To Cooking The Perfect Piece Of Bacon That’ll Make Mornings More Delicious

Everything tastes better with bacon. I consider this one of the main philosophies by which I live my life. Do unto others; better safe than sorry; extra bacon on everything. But seriously, what dish was ever hindered by the presence of bacon? None. Heck, people are even mixing the savory with the sweet and putting bacon in desserts now. So now that we’ve established the fact that bacon enhances all meals, the question is raised: how do you cook the perfect piece of bacon? How can you ensure that all of my bacon cravings are met, and not by a mediocre slice you undercooked in the microwave, but by the unparalleled piece you’ve been dreaming of?

The answer is so unbelievably simple, you’ll wonder why you’ve never thought of it before. With this tip, you can bring home the bacon, fry it up in the pan, and make it taste restaurant-quality with minimal added effort. All you need to do is add water.

According to America’s Test Kitchen, submerging your bacon in water as you fry it on the skillet is a surefire way to make a perfect piece. That’s right — the only thing standing between you and the crispy, tender slice of bacon you desire is a trip to the faucet.

Here’s how you do it. Put your bacon in a skillet on a high heat add enough water to cover your strips. Once the water boils, reduce heat to medium. After all of the water is gone, bring heat to a simmer and continue to cook the bacon until you have a crispy slice for your eating pleasure.

Why does this trick make the perfect bacon? The answer is two-fold. Water renders the fat, so there’s a lot less splattering when you cook it this way, which is a huge plus. And, according to The Kitchn, this method creates the browned, crispy-edged bacon your tastebuds desire without having to worry about burning it. (Because burnt bacon? Talk about a tragedy.) And Cook’s Illustrated notes that adding water plumps up the bacon, which means you don’t have to sacrifice a brittle texture in order to achieve the perfect crisp.

So whether you’re serving up some strips with breakfast, creating the perfect BLT (extra B), or crumbling it up for a spaghetti carbonara, make sure you’re using the best bacon you possibly can. And the way to do so is as simple as “just add water.”